While this story is written in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, having no prior experience with said setting will not hinder your enjoyment and understanding of the story, plot and characters. Here's some boring stuff you probably already know and don't really have to read but I've got to write down.
Dear readers: This story features creative sex and violence; if this offends you, or if you're not legally eligible to read this material, do not continue.
Legal Disclaimer: This work is set in the Forgotten Realms setting owned by Wizards of the Coast. No copyright infringement is intended in the writing of this story, which may be considered fan fiction written for recreation instead of profit, as well as a parody. However much of the story, its plot, scenes and characters are the result of my creative input and thus copyrighted material i lay claim to.
Whew. With that out of the way, enjoy the story.
~valerisque
-------------------------------------------------
Kat put her hood up and rolled the hilts of her swords in her hands, readying herself for the fight to come. Not too long ago she'd watched a rude succubus hit on her best friend and lead her away. Fuming at the thought she'd entered the arena as a challenger to let off some steam, but even as she beheld her opponent at the battleground's far end, an ominous sense of dread overshadowed her anger like a deeply thunderous storm cloud. He was a hooded drow and donned a formidable suit of black plate mail with touches of purple, bearing a silver scythe dripping sickly green poison.
The arena's announcer spoke in the warbling, brutish tongue of the goblin kin, who were the arena's bloodthirsty spectators looming above, crowded around the restrictive railing. Her mind set on the fight, Kat pondered slipping her blades through some imperceptible chink in the mail, then decided to go for the jugular, the drow's head being covered by a mere hood. Then, she'd have to rely on her superior speed and try to get within the reach of the scythe, or take an opportune moment to shoot from her longbow, slung across her back with her quiver.
Somewhere above a bell rang, the ringing reverberating off the walls. The drow dragged his scythe along as he walked with a slow steady gait towards Kat, beckoning her with outstretched hand. The blonde circled her foe, who stood imperiously still.
Suddenly he lashed out at her in a swirl of silver, the scythe edge just a foot away from slicing into Kat, who quickly backed off. The drow was lightning-quick, each stroke of his weapon a split-second affair, as if he swinging a two-pound cane.
The dark elf charged into an offensive, his scythe a blur before him as he unleashed a flurry of slashes, and Kat realized she'd eventually have a back to a wall and nowhere to run. Suddenly stopping from backing off to block the scythe with both her blades, they met with a metallic clang, the impact jarring her arms.
He drew back a little, then slashed straight out, forcing Kat to hop back out of its reach, and just as she landed the drow himself was high in the air, well above her head. He was launching himself behind her for a slash at her unguarded back! At a stab of adrenaline Kat crouched low and rolled away, the sharp swoosh through where she'd stood reminding her how close she'd come.
She came back up with her blades at the ready, and they paced around each other, calculating their next move. Kat contemplated catching the scythe's edge between her blades and tugging the tool right out of his grasp, and then realized it was more likely his superior strength would tug both of her blades away.
There was no way she'd win this fight. Not in the conventional sense, at least, where one warrior overcame the other's parries to strike a fatal blow. The drow's strength was in his prowess, as a rogue, Kat was best at stealth and trickery. There had to be a sneaky, devious way of ending this. There always was, she thought, grinning harshly to herself under her hood.
Still pacing each other, far out of each other's reach, the drow was still wondering how to finish off an opponent who'd dodged his favorite finisher when the hooded girl shouted a string of arcane words and threw her blades in an arc over and above him. Blast! He should've known he wasn't the only one with magic at his disposal.
Turning and staring up at the enchanted blades, the drow prepared to parry their blows when they turned and struck at him, driven by magic. Only the blades seemed to be guided only by free fall. Too late, he realized the ruse, only to collapse in a starburst of pain as an arrow gored through the back of his skull.
The crowd clamored and cheered the new victor, who indifferently picked her swords, the scythe and the dead drow's boots up – to the victor go the spoils, after all – and left whence she came. Kat made her way back to the gladiator's chamber, collecting her prize money, then made for the taproom.
With scythe in hand, the unruly patrons of the tavern regarded the waif-like tiefling girl in new light, giving her wide berth as she had an ale at a corner table, and Val had little trouble picking her out.
"Hey! I'm sorry I had to leave." Val apologized as she sat beside Kat.
"No, it's fine. It's not like you had much of a choice, anyway. So what did she show you?"
"Oh, she showed me how she fixed the outcomes at the casino. Another crystal ball and magic, like the one in her chambers, and we discussed magical methods of security too. I learn a lot about how she guards this place. She doesn't seem to be the mastermind of any criminal organization. She just runs this place where criminals get together. Anyway, that scythe looks familiar. Oh I remember now! It belongs to this crazy jumping drow I saw earlier. Tell me you didn't steal it."
"I didn't. I fought him in the gladiator's pit and killed him."
"I see. That's impressive. I saw him do the craziest jump over a troll and slice him from behind."
"Aye, he tried it on me too. But I dodged."
"That's great, but you could've waited for me. I could've snuck into the spectators and loosed a spell or two, I know some which can't be seen."
"Thanks, but I can take care of myself when I need to."
"Oh, all right. Still, congrats! That was really great." Val grasped Kat by the chin and pecked her on the cheek.
"That's nice." Kat bit her lip, smiling.
"So what do we do now? Maybe you'd like a break? Anyone who had to fight that drow monster could use one. We should sell that scythe off quick."
"Aye. Let's get out of here."
"Aye, but this time by the front door. The one we used should be sealed up by the time we come back. We should find out how to get around to the real entrance."
The 'real entrance' was some way through the casino, and showed just how much Vera cared for security. A dozen of the burly blue ogres stood guard in the entrance hall, along with a beholder, its many eyes glaring at just about everywhere at once. At a side a trio of ogre shamans wielding their staves stood guard as well, with one scratching its hairy beer belly.
The doorway was oversized, certainly to accommodate the larger inhuman folk, and beyond was the dark slimy crawl of the tunnels of lost Sarbreen. Back in the tunnels, the duo realized they'd just walked through a wall. Looking back where they came from, all they saw was wall, albeit with a peculiar looking rune, larger than most, marking the doorway.
"An effective disguise. Very few people think of walking through walls, or of casting divining magic on a wall, and that rune is high up that wall so most could just miss it. The small army inside massacres any one who looks too closely." Val noted.
"Let's go round the bend, and I'll copy that rune."
Val cast her concealing spells of invisibility and non-detection, and the two winded through the tunnel-maze back to where they'd found their way in, with Val writing down the path they took, guided by a sense of their relative locations. Back there, they easily retraced their steps back to the surface, emerging back in the storeroom of the House of Desires.
"Let's get rid of this scythe. It's not like I'll ever use it. Too heavy; not sneaky."
"I know one of the wizards back from the guild who specializes in weapon and staff enchantment. He'll know someone who'll take this and give me a good price. Let's go."
